GG1 4903 heads a westbound rush-hour commuter train at Swarthmore, Pa., sometime during World War II. A mainline motor like this was a rarity on PRR’s West Chester Branch. George Gillespie As were many railroads during the busy World War II years, the Pennsylvania Railroad was hard-pressed for equipment. Many of us remember seeing locomotives and […]
O GAUGE BL2 DIESEL FROM MTH Price: $499.95 (no. 20-20697-1) Min Curve: O-31 Cmd Low: 2.8 smph Cnv Low: 3.0 smph High: 66.1 smph Drawbar pull: 1 lb., 7 oz. Features: Two can-style motors, ProtoSound 3.0 command and sound system, smoke unit, coil couplers Current-production road names: Boston & Maine, Chesapeake & Ohio, Chicago & […]
O GAUGE PEPSI BOTTLING PLANT FROM MENARDS Price: $99.99 (no. 279-3860) Features: Exterior lighting, flashing Pepsi signage, red light on Pepsi can water tower, worker figures, decorated base. The no. 279-4062 power supply (sold separately) costs $9.99 plus shipping. Order at www.Menards.com and select free shipment to your local Menards. The credit for these giant […]
On May 23, 1996, Santa Fe train P-CHLA1-21, a 5,338-ton, 7,133-foot train, at Supai Summit in northern Arizona. John C. Lucas Have you read Fred W. Frailey’s October 2017 “Commentary,” “24 hours at Supai Summit?” He spills all of the details of a 1996 visit to Kaibab National Forest 4 miles east of Williams, Ariz., […]
Click on the image to download the plans. Model railroader Raymond Howard scratchbuilt an HO scale model of a blacksmith shop in Alloway, N.Y. The prototype was built in 1832 with cobblestone walls in an octagonal configuration. You can read about how Raymond cast plaster walls for his model in the October 2017 issue of […]
Louisville & Nashville adopted Alcos by the 1950s on lines in eastern Kentucky. The railroad first painted RS3s, FA2s, and FB2s in black, cream, and orange, but later opted for simpler schemes. R.D. Sharpless, Louisville & Nashville Historical Society collection Q My family moved from Texas to southeastern Kentucky in the mid-1950s, and I remember […]
Special note: All photos courtesy of Aileen Elizabeth Photography For many, garden railways are a unique hobby, but for Jack, a garden railway was a “special wish.” A Special Wish Foundation, North Central Ohio Chapter (“Special Wish”), is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to granting the wishes of children under the age of twenty-one who […]
Photo 1 This plunging waterfall is on the author’s Hoot ’n’ Holler Railroad in northern Ohio. It is “pondless,” with an underground pump reservoir beneath the mill. Don Parker Photo 2 The waterwheel from the mill in photo 1 is built around a section of 4″ plastic drain pipe. Don Parker Photo 3 This telltale […]
Photo 1 On the gravel division of the author’s Aggie (a 7/8″ railway at 1:13.7 scale), work piles up, but it’s time to take a break on the front steps. Lake Phillips welded steel stairs and wrap-around decking for the ceramic mine office, modeled after one in Wales by Chris Greenwald (C&N Designs—candndesigns@msn.com). The raised […]
Marc Horovitz 1:32 scale, gauge 1, live-steam 4-4-2 Accucraft 33268 Central Ave Union City CA 94587 Price: $3,700 Website: www.accucraft.com 1:32 scale, gauge-1 model of a Pennsylvania E-6 Atlantic; locomotive-type boiler with five flues; superheater; 60 psi blowoff pressure; alcohol fired; hand pump in tender; axle pump on rear driven axle; bypass system; water glass; […]
Marc Horovitz 1:19 scale, gauge 0 or 1, hopper-wagon kit Brandbright Ltd. Unit 3, Holland Business Park Holland Way Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 7TA United Kingdom Price £27.50 ea; £97.50/four (less wheels and couplers) Website: www.brandbright.co.uk Laser-cut wooden kit (#GS19) for a British narrow gauge, four-wheel hopper car (wagon); white-metal and other hardware supplied; instruction […]
Marc Horovitz Hot-wire cutter Proxxon 2555 Tate Blvd. SE Hickory NC 28601 Price: $109.80 Website: www.proxxon.com Hot-wire foam cutter (Thermocut 115/E); 115V; adjustable wire tension; adjustable wire angle; built-in protractor; built-in angle gauge with fence; adjustable wire temperature; on/off switch; user’s manual. Dimensions: Base depth, 15 3/4″; overall depth, 20 1/2″; base width, 11 3/4″; […]
